Microsoft did not announce its Surface Pro 5 last year, so it was believed that the company was working on some radical changes to really help consumers jump to the 2-in-1 computing club. Unfortunately, the new word on the street is that the company might not incorporate those changes to warrant a purchase from you because it appears that the Surface Pro 5 could be just an iterative update over its predecessor.

Surface Pro 5 Power Connector to Remain the Same Meaning no Thunderbolt 3 Support

According to Paul Thurrott, Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Pro 5 is expected to retain the Surface Connect power connector just like the Surface Pro 4. What this could mean is that Microsoft will have to rely on other display outputs such as DisplayPort to allow users to connect a secondary display to the 2-in-1. To be honest, a Thunderbolt 3 port via Type-C USB does sound like a much better option because its small size will also allow Microsoft to reduce the thickness of the upcoming Windows 10 tablet, making it even more portable that its predecessors.

Sadly, the words of Paul Thurott mean that the only thing consumers can hope to see is Intel’s Kaby Lake series of processors coupled with possibly more RAM and internal flash if Microsoft is feeling generous. The only possible benefit of the Surface Pro 5 announcement after hearing about this rumor will be that the price of the Surface Pro 4 will drop considerably if the company does not decide to abandon support for it.

Surface Pro 5 will not change the Surface Connect power connector, I was just told. Kaby Lake, nothing dramatic.

It has also been reported before that the Surface Pro 5 is going to be announced during Spring, and that could also be the time when we get to see the Surface Book 2 in action. If the Surface Pro 5 does not feel like a great purchase to you, then you can always check out the prowess of the Surface Book 2 if you’re looking for a premium notebook that’s running Windows 10.